Creighton University
Missouri State
Men's Basketball Stops Missouri State, 66-65
1/18/2012 9:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- In a game that saw 16 tie scores and 10 different lead changes, No. 19 Creighton used two defensive stops in the final 10 seconds to beat defending Valley champ Missouri State, 66-65, on Wednesday night.
Creighton improved to 17-2 overall and is 7-1 in MVC play for the first time since a similar start in 2002-03. MSU drops to 11-9 overall and 4-4 in Valley play with its third straight loss.
After both teams failed to connect on their opening possessions, the Bluejays broke the barrier and struck first, with Doug McDermott laying in a feed from Jahenns Manigat just a minute and a half in the game. A bucket by Will Artino gave Creighton an early 4-2 lead before the Bears scored four unanswered points. Another bucket by McDermott inside the paint evened the game at six-all going into the first media timeout.
The Bluejays reclaimed the lead with just over 15 minutes to play, when Artino slammed down an ally-oop on a toss in by Grant Gibbs. Creighton led 9-6, but the Bears drained back-to-back three-point baskets to take a 14-12 lead.
In the fourth lead change of the first 10 minutes, Gregory Echenique hit a pair of free-throws, Antoine Young nailed a pull-up jumper from 15 feet out, and Avery Dingman drained a three-pointer from the corner right in front of the MSU bench. The Bears continued to claw their way through the first half, answering another Echenique dunk with a dunk by Christian Kirk and an Anthony Downing three-pointer to even the game at 23-all with 9:30 to play.
For the next three minutes, the two teams exchanged baskets, with the Jays pulling ahead on buckets by McDermott and Echenique, and the Bears evening the score thanks to Caleb Patterson and Michael Bizoukas lay-ins. Missouri State took a 29-27 lead into the third media timeout when Downing drove the lane, making the bucket and putting together a possible three-point play coming out of the timeout.
The next two and a half minutes saw just three points (a 2-1 edge for the Jays), with two Bluejay turnovers and a missed three-point attempt, and five missed buckets by the Bears. Young hit one-of-two free throws to pull the game within 30-28, before Weems' two free-thrown put the MSU lead back to four points with 3:38 to play.
Creighton then went cold offensively, hitting just one shot from the floor in the last 7:59 of the half. In the final six possessions of the half, the Bluejays had three turnovers and two missed three-point attempts, with the only bucket a lay-in from Echenique at the two minute mark.
The Bears took a 34-30 lead into the locker room at halftime. McDermott led all scorers with 10 points in the opening frame, with Echenique adding eight. Creighton held Weems to 2-10 from the floor in the opening half, good for six points, while pulling down a team-leading four rebounds. Downing and Caleb Patterson also had six points each for the Bears.
Creighton turned the ball over 11 times in the half and forced just one MSU turnover, giving the Bears a 14-2 edge in points off turnovers in the opening frame. The Bears also held an 18-17 lead in rebounds and a 5-0 lead in steals.
The Bluejay's cold shooting continued into the second half, as the Bears scored the first four points of the half, extending their lead to 38-30 before Echenique tipped in a McDermott miss with 17:55 remaining in the half. The Bluejays then went on a 6-2 run, capped by a jumper from Gibbs with 16:01 that forced the Bears to take a timeout, clinging to the 40-38 lead.
Creighton continued its scoring rampage, reclaiming the lead with just under 15 minutes to play on a Gibbs lay-in after he got behind the last line of defense. It capped an 8-0 run over 2:34 by the Bluejays, giving Creighton the 42-20 lead with just over 14 minutes to play.
Three pointers from Wragge and MSU's Patterson evened the game at 47 all, while Echenique free throws and a Downing jump shot evened the game at 49-49 heading into the second media timeout. With 11:24 remaining in the game, the game had already seen 12 ties and seven different lead changes.
The Bears and Bluejays again exchanged the lead, when Austin Chatman hit a pair of free throws but Weems drained a challenged three-pointer to give MSU a 55-53 lead with nine minutes remaining.
A 4-0 stretch by the Bears was halted by a McDermott three pointer with 7:10 remaining in the game, knotting the game at 56-56. The Bluejays would put together a stretch of their own, holding the Bears scoreless for over two and a half minutes and claiming a 61-58 lead thanks to a pair of three-pointers, one each from McDermott and Jones. A Young drive down the middle of the lane forced MSU to take a timeout with 3:43 remaining and Creighton holding a 63-59 lead.
But the Bears wouldn't quit, using a Weems jumper and a pair of free throws by Downing to tie the ballgame up 63-63 with 2:50 to play.
A free-throw by Gibbs with 2:43 proved to give Creighton the lead for good. Gibbs added a bucket with 1:09 to play put Creighton up 66-63, before MSU answered with a jumper by Jarmar Gulley with 55.1 seconds to put the score at 66-65, advantage Bluejays.
The Bluejays then gave the Bears back the ball, turning it over with just 22.8 seconds remaining on the clock. MSU put the ball in Weems' hands and he hit a shot off the back iron of the rim. McDermott came up with the rebound with 6.4 seconds left, but missed the front end of the one-and-one, giving the Bears a chance to win on a last second shot. Downing missed pull-up jumper from free-throw line to give Creighton the 66-65 win.
Creighton was led on the night by Echenique, who finished with 16 points, and led the charge by pulling down seven boards. McDermott also finished in double-figures with 15, while Gibbs and Young added nine points each. The Jays shot 55% from the floor on the night, sinking 11-14 shots from the free-throw line. Creighton also held the edge in rebounds, 33-30, and in points in the paint, 36-26.
The Bears had four players in double-figures, with Downing scoring 14, Weems knocking down 13 and Gulley and Patterson adding 11 each. The Bears finished the day shooting 39% from the field.
Creighton returns home on Saturday for a 2:05 pm game vs. Indiana State
NOTES: Doug McDermott is one of three players nationally to score 12 or more points in every game his team has played this season, along with West Virginia's Kevin Jones and Weber State's Damian Lillard ...With six assists Antoine Young (433) moved into fourth place on Creighton's all-time assist list, passing Tyler McKinney (430) ...Creighton's 30 points at halftime tied a season-low for any half ...Creighton has started 4-0 in conference road games for the first time since 1942-43 ...This is also the first time that Creighton has started 7-1 or better in true road games since 1974-75 ...Creighton snapped a six-game losing streak to Missouri State, defeating the Bears for the first time since Jan. 24, 2010 ...Creighton is off to its first 7-1 start in MVC play since 2002-03 ...Creighton is 17-2 for the fourth time in program history (also 2002-03, 2001-02, 1921-22) ...With 15 points tonight, Doug McDermott has tied the career point total (1,033) that his father Greg achieved while playing at Northern Iowa ...Doug McDermott soared from 35th place to 32nd place on Creighton's all-time scoring list with 15 points, giving him 1,033 in his career. (passing Rod Mason 1023, P'Allen Stinnett 1024 and Johnny Mathies 1031) ...This was the fifth straight meeting that the team leading at half lost the game ...Creighton is now 10-0 all-time when Gregory Echenique has a game with 15 points or more.
